Explosion in Tel Aviv declared a ‘terror attack’ by Israeli authorities

An explosion in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening has been declared a terror attack by Israeli police and Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency.

An explosion in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening has been declared a terror attack by Israeli police and Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency. Hamas’s armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the explosion, in a statement on its Telegram account. Police said the person suspected of carrying the explosive material was killed, while a passerby sustained injuries. “This was a terror attack involving the explosion of a powerful explosive,” the Israel Police Spokesperson’s Unit and the Shin Bet Spokesperson’s Unit said in a joint statement Monday. “As a result of the explosion, a passerby was moderately injured (according to medical sources) and was transported to receive medical treatment,” it added. A police official told CNN early Monday that “a major disaster was averted, and dozens could have been killed.” The official refused to comment on what may have been the intended target. Later Monday, police in Tel Aviv said that the suspect who carried out the explosion had no criminal record and was unknown to security forces.